Since Davis's time, control of the Coastal Radio Service of which Willis Islets (CGI) was a unit had passed from the Postmaster-General's Department to Amalgamated Wireless A/sia (A.W.A.), thus the latter organisation took over control of the Willis Island radio meteorological station, though it was not enamoured with the idea, foreseeing little revenue from a population of three. As a consequence the senior of the two radio men became Officer-in-Charge.

At A.W.A. Radio school in Melbourne, I was put through a 'crash' course in radio-telegraphy, in order to meet any emergency. Soon after settling in at Willis Island we carried through an emergency exercise as part of routine maintenance, using emergency radio transmitter, emergency aerial and emergency radio-telegraphist. The test proved successful in communicating with Cooktown and all was kept in readiness in case of a real emergency, which fortunately did not arise.

The Willis Island party, also a Works party of sixteen, left Townsville on SS Bopple, a small vessel of 270 tons which traded between ports along the Queensland Coast and arrived at the island on 29 October 1922.

We approached the Island from the east having sailed beyond 150°E longitude without sighting it. Willis Islets includes a group of three, about 250 miles east of Cairns. The Willis Island stormwarning station was established on the most southern of the three; mid-islet and North Cay lie NNW four and ten miles respectively.

Bureau of Meteorology